The Magic Hawk
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May DeVito looked at the magic hawk in her hands and felt lonely.
She walked over to the window and reflected on her cold surroundings. She had always loved picturesque Los Angeles with its damaged, damp ditches. It was a place that encouraged her tendency to feel lonely.
The thought of loneliness led her thoughts back to how she ended up as a shut-in. But I really am lucky because all the men want me… Her fantasy shifted into something much more realistic when she remembered how she landed herself here, trapped inside a bunker full of weapons with only one ally—the guy who caused all this mess: Roman Torchwick.
“Hey,” May began conversationally as she sat down at the table and turned away from the window, “it’s been a while.” Roman emerged from his bedroom after wearing pajamas and heading toward a bathroom for some last-minute preparations before falling asleep.
He came across May in their shared room where they both slept alone on separate mattresses—Roman having already moved into another suite. “I’m sorry about leaving you behind without letting you know what was happening. I needed to make sure it wasn’t anyone else in my world who would try using Fomoria as an arena.”
Roman’s long, blond hair was still wet from his shower. It dripped slightly onto the clean bedsheets he wore around his body while holding the clothes he planned on changing into once his washcloth dried out.
“It’s fine. You should have told me sooner so we could prepare ourselves properly.” Roman gave her a lopsided grin which brought a smile back to May’s face.
He joined her in front of the computer screen which showed two boxes displaying names written atop each. One read ‘Alice’, the other ‘Penny’.
“What are those for?”
“Name tags for the sleepover party tomorrow night. We’ve never done anything like this together so let’s get a good group going!”
May smiled and reached to take the mouse and click on Alice, but realized Roman hadn’t chosen Penny yet. It was time to do a little role-playing since it seemed their friendship was growing. Besides, their relationship needed a bit of spicing up and May had come prepared for that eventuality.
While Alice was too generic a name to pass up, Penny being May’s nickname for herself was far better suited for their friendship. If things went according to plan, it could even be used as leverage if Roman ever forgot who his true boss was.
“…and that will do it!” exclaimed May as she stopped moving the mouse cursor over the box and slapped both palms down on top of the table, nearly causing them to topple over. “Now to head back upstairs—”
“Sorry for startling you, May,” said Roman before catching himself just in time to stop stumbling.
“Don’t worry about it, I know your abilities don’t exactly suit waking others in the morning.” She giggled playfully and then pulled a package of gum from her pocket and started chewing with a goofy expression before placing it down beside her plate and crossing her arms.
“No, no! Don’t say anything until we’ve finished breakfast and done our normal routine first.”
“Of course.” Roman nodded and began flipping the page on a novel resting atop an end table between the beds. A paperback copy of Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix. He opened to somewhere in the middle but didn’t look up, waiting instead for May to tell him whatever she had intended by revealing he startled her awake. “So what happened? What kept you away?”
May continued looking at the ceiling and drummed her fingers against the glass surface with a cheeky grin plastered across her lips. With a jolt she snapped back into reality, realizing why it took so long to hear such a simple question from someone like Roman, who lived most of his life fighting for attention.
For a moment, May was completely paralyzed by embarrassment. Once again, her mouth ran faster than her brain. “… I uh… thought maybe it was time to move past this and bring up the elephant in the room.”
As though she were talking to herself, she slowly stood up and brushed imaginary dust off the shoulder of her pink tank top before speaking. “Just keep your voice down, alright? I might not be able to resist punching you if you make any sudden sounds…”
This was why there were few people whom May trusted enough to discuss certain topics with. This was one such instance where words could literally cut deeper than a knife. Those she cared the most about knew how she felt and dealt with it, although their behavior wasn’t quite adequate for such an emotional matter.
They understood the pain behind it all but often chose to remain oblivious or turn away when asked. May sighed sadly, hoping to release the pressure building up inside of her before explaining why she changed her name to Penny.
She hated lying, but this secret alone had been eating away at her mind every time her face met a mirror; however, the anxiety from having to bare the truth would never fully subside.
“Can we talk later tonight after everyone is gone?”
With this, Roman nodded with a serious face. Even May’s friend couldn’t help but notice his new demeanor.
“Sure, sure. Now I think I’m gonna get ready, I’ll meet you downstairs.” As soon as she’d taken Roman’s silence as permission to walk out of the living room, May burst through the door to her room without closing it, practically throwing herself onto her bed and curling into a ball.
An idea came to mind, but this was something that she rarely did because she’d only attempted it a handful of times. With shaking hands, she dialed home number nine on her cell phone.
In a nearby hallway, there was a set of footsteps and the sound of metal knocking on wood. When it echoed throughout the house, the man standing outside heard voices coming from the other rooms within, though the conversation sounded much more friendly.
Despite their age, most siblings tended to speak to one another in hushed tones, especially since none liked to bother anyone while they slept. After some time passed and no one responded, the creak of a doorknob followed by the quiet shuffle of feet carried over to the front porch.
The black-haired woman smiled and shook her head with amusement. Children were so dramatic nowadays, and these two were the perfect example. It made sense that May insisted on staying in the basement guest bedroom just for this reason.
However, as for whether or not the sibling pair was aware that she spent some nights here, well…that was a different story entirely.
Roman laid back flat on the couch with his elbows propped up under his chin and watched as his sister shuffled down the stairs, carrying a small white cooler.
“…hear you’re back,” May spoke softly so neither Roman nor any member of their family upstairs would hear. It always surprised him how close-knit the clan was despite the numerous comings and goings, yet their members acted like strangers even with each other.
Nobody really wanted to admit how easily they could count on one another, but if pushed, almost nobody would actually turn to anyone else to depend upon. Instead, they all banded together to find the solution themselves and live on with a “can do” attitude which somehow convinced them all otherwise.
In contrast, May preferred the company of outsiders who shared similar interests. To the outside eye, she must have seemed like a loner to others in high school and college. That may explain why she gravitated towards those she saw as her own kind.
After bringing the ice chest from the trunk, May sat on the sofa next to Roman with a giddy smile. Perhaps her joy stemmed from knowing that she was sharing a secret with Roman at last, even if it was one that involved a hidden identity. Her brother chuckled. “Nah. Just popped over for some food first, but it looks like ya’ll are busy ’round here…”
“…I hope this isn’t going to take forever.”
As he peered around the kitchen doorway, he spotted the cooktop station; besides that was the sink where several pots were already half full of hot water, preparing meals. Behind the stove was a large table cluttered with papers, books, and various objects on top of what appeared to be a massive crossword puzzle book.
Two laptops were set up side by side, although his parents hadn’t exactly raised their children into computer-literate young adults. Nonetheless, they’d used computers both for work purposes and entertainment, though with varying degrees of success and understanding.
He couldn’t remember the last time his father read a newspaper, instead preferring the evening news shows on the television. When his mom left the room to change clothes or wash dishes, May grabbed a paper plate covered in meatballs, cheese, and breadstick slices to line the bottom. She then filled Roman’s empty glass and walked over to sit beside him across the coffee table.
He put his hand on her thigh before lightly petting the top of her thighs where her jeans ended, watching as she bit her lip while licking her finger. Atop the kitchen counter rested a stack of mail, envelopes containing items mailed from relatives.
For many years, the three of them received letters about once a month, sometimes more during special occasions such as Christmas and birthdays. Of course, they never understood what many of the phrases said meant; that was part of what made it fun receiving all these different pieces of mail.
“How much longer d’ya think we got… ?” May asked curiously. They’d been interrupted before things heated up. Although May had picked an opportune moment in their recent separation to visit, Roman noticed the unease in his little sister’s eyes.
Maybe it had something to do with her friends from school. Still, he found himself enamored by the way her innocent cheeks flushed whenever she played footsie with him beneath the table. There was still plenty of life left in the old guy yet, especially considering he didn’t get any younger being in the service, and maybe most importantly because he chose to make peace with May after his mother died. Sure, he missed her terribly, but ultimately May helped bring him to terms.
On cue, there was a soft knock on the door frame and the sound of footsteps marching heavily across the wooden floor. Catching sight of the cold lunch packager, May blurted out: “What? No! We don’t want your junk!”
His ears twitched when he heard a crash as their aunt abruptly slammed against the wall behind her as their grandmother began angrily shouting at them. The front door burst open, throwing snowballs across the living room floor.
Bitter winter weather blew inside, nearly knocking them off their feet. Cold air blasted through the house, followed by warm moist gusts as the girls stepped away, frozen by the blast of frigid wind. They hadn’t expected such a dramatic entrance from anyone besides a group of neighborhood kids.
Before either girl could look up, their aunt slipped inside, startling them enough to instinctively freeze in place. Her attention went immediately to their bare feet as she screamed:
“A-are y’all stupid?! Ya can see that I’m not dressed to go outside in that!”
Mandy let out a laugh and looked down at herself. Her green hoodie was ripped open on the upper right shoulder, exposing a tattered gold bra underneath, her blouse tucked deep inside its torn pockets. In the process, her breasts were exposed despite wearing nothing more than tight gray sweatpants.
Unlike May, she had no coat, just her denim jacket bundled atop her waist beneath her dark brown leather vest. Yet somehow the wind chill caused Mandy to shiver with visible chills in spite of her layered clothing. Even her cheeks reddened in response to the intense cold. Looking back towards the stairway, she noticed both her sisters and their grandparents.
“Whaaa? Y’all still doing your… stuff?”
Roman smiled wryly at his older sister. She hadn’t changed much since his earliest recollections of her as a young teenager, which dated back to before his enlistment. Over the last year, Roman had watched his sister mature physically into an adult, taking steps to turn her wild ways around.
So far, it seemed to be working and she was now better able to care for herself. A week ago, Mandy called home looking for Roman because she was dealing with legal issues, including arrests by local authorities regarding drug possession charges.
After getting out on bail, she admitted to Roman how grateful she was to have an adult brother like him, one who took her to task and refused to abandon her. Like Roman, she spent considerable time attending AA meetings while under court supervision, in which she was required to remain sober as a condition of release pending sentencing.
During that same visit, he also discovered she was pregnant. Needless to say, he was less than pleased upon hearing this information, but regardless, Roman promised himself to help his sister as best he could.
The End